Frequently Asked Questions
About the PicturePath®
Program:
1.
The
PicturePath® Link Program was launched in November of 2004, replacing the old
PicturePath Virtual Tour program (which is no longer supported by Homestore).
2.
PicturePath®
Virtual Tours must be presented in a REALTOR.com® compliant template which
takes third party branding into consideration. Participants are required to
provide a base URL in their contract to which all submissions must adhere.
3.
A
linking fee is charged to participating companies on a pay-per-use basis.
Invoices are issued monthly.
4.
Participants
will not be charged for Tour links loaded to listings belonging to REALTOR.com®
Showcase Listing Enhancement subscribers.
5.
Participants
will receive automatic discounted rates based on their monthly volume as per
the PicturePath rate card. Annual commitments in order to receive discounts are
no longer required.
6.
Homestore
does not distribute new PicturePath Tour links to Web sites other than
REALTOR.com®. Due to the variety of
rules and regulations set forth by recipient Web sites, Homestore cannot be
responsible for this distribution.
Frequently
Asked Questions
I am not a current
participant of the PicturePath® Program, how do I join the linking program?
If you are
not a current participant of the PicturePath linking program, you will be able
to join by signing the PicturePath Linking Agreement.
Please
contact our Virtual Tour Support Team at 877-353-4749 for more information
How do I ensure that my template is
REALTOR.com® compliant?
During the
brief implementation timeframe for new participants, you will be provided with
information about the types of content not permitted on REALTOR.com®. The PicturePath Linking Agreement requires
that you provide a base URL to be used as part of every tour delivered to
REALTOR.com®. This base URL will allow Homestore to perform random spot checks
to ensure ongoing compliance. Homestore
reserves the right to withdraw virtual tours that do not adhere to the
compliance rules and regulations. Orders removed for non-compliance will not be
refunded.
Can I distribute my PicturePath® tour links to
other distribution sites?
Due to the
variety of rules and regulations set forth by recipient Web sites, Homestore
will not distribute virtual tours that are not hosted by Homestore. PicturePath virtual tours that are sent to
How will I be charged for this service?
Participating
customers will be billed monthly based on the number of Non-Showcase Virtual
Tours they submit through www.picturepath.com. The rate card provides for a discounted price
at various levels of volume. All new
non-showcase tour links submitted in a given month will be used to calculate
the rate for that month’s invoice. Tour
deliveries will not be carried over from month to month. Please contact picturepath@homestore.com for more
information.
What is happening to the hometour360ş® program?
Homestore
remains dedicated to running its hometour360° virtual tour program. Homestore
will allow participating virtual tour companies to upload and create
hometour360ş virtual tours powered by a variety of technologies. For more
information please read the hometour360ş FAQs.
Showcase Listing Enhancements - New
Featured Tour™ Benefit
Frequently Asked
Questions
General Product Questions
What is the Showcase Listing Enhancements
New Featured Tour™ Benefit?
Currently, REALTOR.com® charges a per-upload or distribution
fee for each tour link uploaded via the Picture Path GUI or AUI. With the
launch of the new Featured Tour Benefit, you will NOT be charged the distribution fee for tour links loaded to
properties with Showcase Listings Enhancements on REALTOR.com®.
How will REALTOR.com®
market the Featured Tour™ Benefit to customers?
Free Distribution of Virtual Tours will be marketed as a new
Showcase Listing Enhancements feature to all current and prospective
REALTOR.com® Showcase Listing Enhancement customers.
How will the new “Featured Tour™
benefit” help my business?
With the
added value of free distribution on tours links loaded to Showcase Listings on
REALTOR.com®, we expect the demand for Virtual Tours to grow significantly.
Can Showcase Listing Enhancements
subscribers create and load their own tours to their REALTOR.com® listings?
No. In
order to take advantage of tour distribution on Showcase listings, Showcase
Listing Enhancements customers will need to go through a REALTOR.com®
authorized PicturePath Link or hometour360ş partner.
Pricing Questions
How will you determine whether a tour
link is being loaded to a Showcase or Non-Showcase listing on REALTOR.com®?
Once an MLS
ID (Listing Number) and Address have been submitted on an order, our system
will access the listing on REALTOR.com® and will determine whether or not it is
a Showcase listing.
- If the listing is a Showcase
listing, the appropriate Showcase Product code will be assigned to the
order number within our systems, and you will not be billed for the tour
link distribution on REALTOR.com®.
- If the listing is not a Showcase
listing, a Non-Showcase product code will be assigned to the order number
within our system, and you will be billed the full distribution cost for
the Tour link.
I need to load the
same tour link to 2 separate MLS IDs (Listing Numbers) – how will I be billed
for this order?
The Showcase state is established for the Order by the
“Showcase Status” of the Primary MLS
ID (listing number) entered. You will be billed based on the ‘Showcase Status’
of the Primary MLS ID.
If an Agent does not have an active
listing on
Functionality
has been added to the PicturePath Web application that will allow you to check
the Showcase Status of your customer (the Realtor).
The
new “Check Showcase Status” screen will query on the Customer Name, MLS, and
Public ID, and will return the current Showcase status (Showcase / Non
Showcase) of the customer.
The
primary purpose of the “Check Showcase Status” functionality is to allow you to
verify the Showcase status of a customer, regardless of whether or not they
have active listings on
REALTOR.com® Distribution:
What happens if I try to load a tour
link to a listing that is not on REALTOR.com®?
If the MLS
ID (Listing Number) does not exist on REALTOR.com®, the order cannot be
distributed to REALTOR.com®. You will receive an error message, and your order
will be rejected.
If I try and load a tour link to a
listing that is not on REALTOR.com®, will there be automatic repeated attempts
to load the tour link to REALTOR.com®?
Automatic
repeated attempts to distribute a tour link to REALTOR.com® (in the case that
the listing was not live on REALTOR.com® at the time the tour was loaded via the
GUI or AUI) will no longer be supported.
Credits &
Cancellations:
One of my customers
just became a Showcase Listing Enhancements subscriber. Will I be credited for
tour links previously posted to their REALTOR.com® listings?
No. Tour
links loaded to listings belonging to customers without the Showcase Listings
Enhancements Product will not be credited if the customer later decides to
subscribe to Showcase Listings Enhancements.
One of my customers just became a
Showcase Listing Enhancements subscriber. When will the distribution fees be
waived for their tour links loaded to REALTOR.com®?
The
discount (Distribution Fees waived) will only be applied to tour links that are
loaded after the customer subscribes to Showcase Listings Enhancements, and
only to listings associated with an MLS ID tied to the Customers Showcase
Listing Enhancements package.
The Showcase Listing Enhancements
subscription for one of my customers has expired. What will happen to my
customer’s Tours on REALTOR.com®?
Tour links
uploaded to Showcase Listings are part of the “Showcase Listing Enhancements
package.” Expiration of the Showcase Listings Enhancements subscription causes
all listing enhancements, including the tour, to no longer be visible on
REALTOR.com®.
The Showcase Listing Enhancements
subscription for one of my customers expired, and their Tours were removed from
REALTOR.com®. What will happen to the
All tour
links are stored on our servers. If at any time the Showcase subscriber decides
to renew their Showcase Listings Enhancements subscription with REALTOR.com®,
their tours will immediately be restored to their listings.
I have a customer whose Showcase
Listing Enhancements subscription has expired. Will I be charged full price on
the tours loaded to REALTOR.com® for this customer?
Yes. Any
tour link loaded after the Showcase Listing Enhancements subscription has
expired will be billed as a Non-Showcase listing, or FULL price.
Edits to Address Information and MLS IDs:
I have submitted an
order with a valid MLS ID (Listing Number). Can I go back in and
change the Address on this order?
No.
Changes to Address
information will no longer be allowed after a valid MLS ID (listing Number) has
been entered / submitted on an order.
I have submitted an
order with a valid MLS ID (Listing Number). Can I go back in and
change the MLS ID on this order?
Changes to
MLS ID’s will only be permitted when:
- The address from the original
order matches the address of the new MLS ID you are entering.
- Showcase state of old and new
MLS ID’s must match. In other words, you may not change the MLS ID on a
Showcase order, to an MLS ID that is a non-showcase listing.
I have a special circumstance and
must change the MLS ID / Address on an order that has already been submitted
for REALTOR.com® distribution. I am unable to make these changes in the Picture
Path web application. Who do I contact?
Our Virtual
Tour Support Team can be contacted at 877-353-4749 for assistance if changes to
the address and/or MLS ID must be made, and you are unable to do so within the
Picture Path utility.
Changes to the Picture Path Web
application
How do I determine whether a listing
is a showcase or a non-showcase listing prior to submitting an order?
A new
“Confirm Product Price” page has been added to the Picture Path utility. This
page will display whenever an MLS ID is entered for the first time, and fees
have not yet been assessed. The Confirm Product Price page will display the following
information:
- Product Description -
(Showcase/Non-Showcase Listing)
- Product Price – (As determined
by each listing’s Showcase status).
Product Price displayed will not reflect the discounted
rates you receive based on your monthly volume, as per the PicturePath rate
card.
The Additional Property
Identifier value that I have imputed cannot be validated in the Picture Path
Web application (ie: The primary MLS ID is on REALTOR.com®, however the
Additional Property Identifier is not). Can I still proceed with the order?
When an
Additional Property Identifier is entered and cannot be properly validated, you
are given the option to correct the information entered or proceed without distribution of the Additional
Property Identifier to
How do I review the Showcase status
of an order that has already been submitted to
The “
Changes to the Automated Upload Interface
(AUI)
How do I confirm whether an order I
have submitted via the AUI will be billed as a Showcase or Non-Showcase order?
Additional
responses have been added to the AUI response file, including the status of the
submission and confirmation of all prices and products ordered. Product Price displayed will not reflect the
discounted rates you receive based on your monthly volume, as per the PicturePath
rate card.
How do I determine whether a listing
is a showcase or a non-showcase listing prior to submitting an order via the
AUI?
Functionality
is provided that allows validation of the pricing of each product associated
with the new order or edit, including the impact of the characteristics of the
listing (i.e.: Showcase / Non-Showcase).
When submitting a “MLS ID
validation” (to determine Showcase / Non-Showcase status) via the AUI, what
kind of message can I expect to see in the Response file?
The
response received will be the same as would have been received if the order or
edit had been submitted, with the following caveats:
- If there will be both a MLS ID
and Additional Property Identifier involved on any given order, they
should be submitted at the same time to assure accurate validation of both
listing numbers.
- Since the order number is not
used in the submission, this feature should not be used for adding the
Additional Property Identifier, or pre-validating edits to the MLS ID or
the Additional Property Identifier.
Can a Tour order be
resubmitted to Realtor.com if the “
Yes.
An additional order can be generated via the AUI if the “
For example:
An
order is submitted via the AUI for a Showcase customer, and you are billed
$0.00 for the order, due to the “Showcase” status.
A
month later, the customer cancels their Showcase subscription, which results in
the free tour or link being removed from their
How do I remove a Link
from a
Currently, in
order to submit a new order or edit an existing one within the AUI, you must
include a “destination code” for
In order to remove a link from a
Does the new version of the AUI
(v.5) have backwards compatibility?
While the
current version of the AUI is designed to be “Backwards Compatible” with
previous versions of the AUI / Bulk upload specification, it will be necessary
to upgrade to the latest version of the specification in order to take
advantage of the new features in this release.
- Business Rules deployed in the
new AUI version are enforced for all versions.
- Edits of orders created in
previous versions have special rules.
Further details on processing
changes, including new business rules and special rules for existing orders,
additional AUI responses, product pricing confirmation and warnings and error
messages can be found in the updated PicturePath Automated Upload Interface
Implementation Guide (v.5).
Changes to the Monthly Usage Report
How has the format of the Monthly
Usage Report changed?
The format
of the report has changed to include the Additional Property Identifier,
Product Codes and Product Descriptions.
Has the content of the Monthly Usage
Report changed?
Yes. The
report now contains all products purchased including those required to support
Showcase and Non Showcase Distribution to REALTOR.com®.